1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silver halide color reversal photographic lightsensitive material exhibiting enhanced color reproduction performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Color reversal films are often used by professional photographers as originals for printing because the films after development can be directly appreciated. That is, the color reversal films function as a color proof for printing. Therefore, the demand on color reproduction is extremely strict, but conventional color reversal films marketed cannot be stated as having satisfactorily met the demand. For example, most of conventional color reversal films have a drawback in that colors of purple series are reproduced with red considerably intensified over the life color and that when photographing is conducted under fluorescent lamps, green fogging occurs overall. The cause of the drawback resides in that the center value of spectral sensitivity of red-sensitive layer is positioned on the side of longer wave (often 630 nm or greater) than the center value (605 nm) of spectral sensitivity of human neuroepitheliale having sensitivity on the longest-wave side. However, simply shifting the spectral sensitivity of red-sensitive emulsion layer to shorter wave would inevitably invite problems of color reproduction, such as conspicuous lowering of red color saturation and deviation of green and bluish green hues toward yellow.
These problems have already been recognized. For example, in Japanese Patent 2,694,363, it is described to introduce a special layer (donor layer) capable of imparting an interimage effect (hereinafter also referred to as “IIE”) for faithfully reproducing hues without dropping of red saturation. Therein, as examples of means for imparting IIE, there are mentioned DIR-hydroquinone compounds, mercaptothiadiazole compounds, mercaptobenzothiazole compounds and iodide ions released from a silver halide emulsion containing silver iodide in high proportion. However, these IIE intensifying means have not necessarily exerted satisfactory effects. Similar techniques are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,663,271, 4,705,744 and 4,707,436 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A-) 62-160448 and JP-A-6-3-89850.
Moreover, JP-A-11-119398 discloses a silver halide reversal lightsensitive material containing an interimage effect intensifying layer (hereinafter also referred to as “IIE intensifying layer”). However, in this publication, there is no particular description regarding spectral sensitivity, and there is disclosed only means for further enhancing an overall color saturation.